Many adults experience Oral Fibroma en Panama, yet they often avoid consulting a dentist. This seemingly simple issue can escalate into something unbearable. Do not bear the pain. Visit DentalOne and get expert treatment.
Oral Fibroma: What Is It?
You might unintentionally bite your cheek while eating, or the inner cheek tissue may get trapped between your teeth while sleeping, causing a pale bump inside your mouth. It is oral fibroma.
Oral fibromas are benign, fibrous growths that develop in the mouth’s soft tissues. They are typically slow-growing and painless, presenting as firm, raised nodules with a smooth or slightly irregular surface.
How Fibromas Develop
This mass of connective tissue usually grows in response to trauma or localized irritation. What does this mean? A traumatic fibroma forms from the constant “bothering” of a particular area of your mouth. For example, if you continuously chew on the inside of your cheek, a fibroma could form in that spot. While fibromas are hardly ever cancerous, they can get bigger when irritated or grow larger over time.
How They’re Found
Usually, if you have a fibroma, you’re the one to find it! Or a dental or medical professional, upon routine examination, discovers it. On rare occasions, fibromas can show up in the maxilla (upper jaw) or mandible (lower jaw). These types of fibromas are more likely to be discovered in digital imaging rather than from you noticing them in your day-to-day routine.
How Fibromas Develop
This mass of connective tissue usually grows in response to trauma or localized irritation. What does this mean? A traumatic fibroma forms from the constant “bothering” of a particular area of your mouth. For example, if you continuously chew on the inside of your cheek, a fibroma could form in that spot. While fibromas are hardly ever cancerous, they can get bigger when irritated or grow larger over time.
How They’re Found
Usually, if you have a fibroma, you’re the one to find it! Or a dental or medical professional, upon routine examination, discovers it. On rare occasions, fibromas can show up in the maxilla (upper jaw) or mandible (lower jaw). These types of fibromas are more likely to be discovered in digital imaging rather than from you noticing them in your day-to-day routine.
Where They Occur
As noted above, oral fibromas develop in your oral cavity. Specifically, fibromas are on your tongue and the inside of your cheeks and lips. They can even grow on the outside of your mouth and have the potential to become raised. Keep in mind that fibromas develop from repeatedly biting a specific area of your skin, irritation by a foreign object (like dentures, for example), or trauma to the surrounding tissue.
Fibromas are more likely to occur in adults but can occur at any age. Ossifying fibroma, for example, a specific type of fibroma, can occur in children.
Oral fibroma symptoms
Oral fibromas have symptoms that occur before the actual mouth sore appears. Look for the following to see if you may be developing a fibroma:
Unusual lumps in the mouth
Rough surfaces inside the cheeks or on the gums
Pale or dark patches of cheek and gum tissue
If you notice these symptoms, you may be able to head off developing a full-on fibroma. If the fibroma is caused by a habit such as cheek biting, breaking the habit can head off an oral fibroma. Similarly, ill-fitting dental appliances can be adjusted.
How can I treat oral fibromas?
Treatment of oral fibroma often begins with identifying the source of the irritation. If the fibroma is a result of biting the inside of your cheek or the lip, take steps to become aware of this behavior. This might be as simple as retraining yourself by wearing a rubber band around your wrist and snapping it when you notice yourself biting your cheek.
If the fibroma is a result of an ill-fitting dental appliance (e.g., dentures or a night guard), treatment without remedying the ill-fitting appliance will be ineffective.
Laser removal of oral fibroma
Oral fibroma removal is easily and safely done with a laser. For smaller oral fibromas, this procedure can usually be performed in your dentist’s office. Your dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area. You may feel a pinch or a sting from the injection, but that will quickly disappear as the anesthetic begins to work.
Using a laser, your dentist will sweep the area several times until the fibroma is completely removed. As the laser removes the fibroma, it also cauterizes and seals the surgical area. This means that usually additional stitches are not necessary.
Laser surgery performed by a trained and skilled dentist is typically pain-free and nearly or completely without bleeding. The surgery itself is often less than 15 minutes long, with few issues during the recovery period.
Anesthetic may take a few hours to wear off, but you will not need to restrict activities or take any special care during recovery.
Surgical removal of oral fibroma
The surgical removal of an oral fibroma is similar to laser surgery, except that the cutting instrument is different. After numbing the area, your dentist uses a scalpel to remove the fibroma. Stitches are required during this procedure, as the area is an open wound without them. Before closing the wound, your dentist will thoroughly clean the area. The number of stitches placed depends on the size of the fibroma.
Aftercare for the surgical removal of a fibroma is a bit more involved as there is a stitched wound to monitor. Look for signs of infection. These may include:
Fever
Excessive pain
Swelling
Discharge
If these occur, contact your dentist immediately to have your stitches checked.
Otherwise, simple precautions apply. Overly spicy or hot foods may irritate your incision, so keep foods simple and easy to eat. You can take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as directed for pain and swelling if needed. If you have been prescribed antibiotics or prescription pain medication, follow those directions, too.
Any kind of mouth sore can be worrying. If you think you may have an oral fibroma, contact DentalOne today for a full exam.
